Since 2015, the best beach soccer teams in the country have been competing in the German Beach Soccer League organized by the DFB. Every year from May, the four best teams are determined over several match weekends, and then they compete for the German champions at the Final Four in Rostock-Warnemünde in August. Beach soccer is always played on sand and without shoes. The playing field is 35-37×26-28 meters in size. An imaginary line runs inside the playing field at a distance of nine meters from the goal line: the penalty area in beach soccer.
A game is played in three periods of twelve minutes each, with the breaks between periods lasting a maximum of three minutes. The ball has the same circumference as a normal football, measuring 68 to 70 centimetres, but is lighter. Each team has a maximum of five players, one of whom must be the goalkeeper.
Substitutions may be made as often as desired. All substitutions, including the goalkeeper, may be made during play. As in football, the goalkeeper may only touch the ball with his hand in the penalty area. Outside the penalty area, the hand rule applies as for all other field players.
In beach soccer, you can only win or lose. A game never ends in a draw! In the event of a tie, the rules stipulate a three-minute overtime period. If the score is still tied after that, the game must be decided by a penalty shootout.
As in traditional football, beach soccer also has yellow and red cards that can be given for unsportsmanlike conduct or violations of the rules. If a player is sent off, another player can replace him after two penalty minutes have elapsed from the time of the sending off.
No wall may be formed during a free kick. The player who was fouled must take the free kick unless he is prevented from doing so by an injury. If the foul was committed in the team’s own half, all players must move behind the ball. If the foul was committed in the opponent’s half, all players except the kicker must move at least five metres away from the ball and must not stand in the line of fire.
